Wildlife Observations: May 22, 2020
On Saturday, April 25, Nora Scott of Swarthmore sighted a bullfrog sunning on the bank of a tributary to Crum Creek in the Crum Woods. That was a good day for herps, as two ribbon snakes, several painted turtles, and an American toad were also sighted.
A belted kingfisher and an eastern bluebird also recently showed in the Crum Woods. And a groundhog (aka woodchuck, aka whistle pig) has been regularly showing in the meadow adjacent to the holly collection.
Anthony Addison continues to see fox kits on the 300 block of Cornell Avenue in the early morning, and he submitted a totes adorbs photo of two of them frolicking. He believes there are five kits in the litter.
Fox kits on Cornell Avenue. Photo: Anthony Addison
Birds: a plentiful variety of migrating birds has been arriving or passing through in the last two weeks. Julie Ellis and her daughter Ruby Hoffman spotted numerous chimney swifts over Park and Harvard avenues, which I have since observed too. In past years, chimney swifts have nested in the bell tower of Swarthmore United Methodist Church, so I’ll bet these ones will settle in and nest.
On the migrants-passing-through front, Julie Ellis also spotted a black-and-white warbler in her Park Avenue front yard, and Andy Huemmler of Swarthmore spotted a magnolia warbler, a black-throated blue warbler, a pine warbler, a black-and-white warbler, a yellow-rumped warbler, and two rose-breasted grosbeaks (a male and a female) at a feeder, likely on their way to Canada for the summer.
Andy noted that his neighbors’ nesting pair of Cooper’s hawks “have been seen playing tag team bringing prey to the nest, one flies in, the other flies out. The chicks aren’t big enough yet to be seen. The hawks always seem to head towards Park Avenue to hunt. I wonder why.”
Andy also spotted a Baltimore oriole passing through Umoja Park. Baltimore orioles nest locally, so hopefully it sticks around.
Wild turkey hen. Photo: Michi Ellers
Gloria Ellers and Jonathan Hodgson, both of Riverview Road, observed a wild turkey hen in their backyards, and submitted photographs. Jonathan also spotted an indigo bunting in his yard, which is an apt segue to the next paragraph.
Andrew Bunting spotted a veery, a yellow-rumped warbler, and an eastern towhee, all in his backyard at 408 Vassar Avenue, with the veery and towhee being first-time sightings there.
Foxmore
The Foxes,
now in charge,
have announced
there will be very few changes
Marty is to remain as Mayor
and no change
no change
to anything else
at present
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